too early for the ultrasound?very worried

[ollieanne]

Hi everyone! My first post on this site. Where do I start? I've always had irregular cycles anything between 21 and 35 days! Its been 7 weeks since my last period, I've had cramping and sore breasts.I've done 3 home pregnancy tests in the last two days : all were positive although the line was faint in two of them. I went to the gyn today and he did ultrasound. He could not see an embryo in the uterus and said the uterus was not enlarged as you would expect with pregnancy. He also said there was a shadow on the right side (in tube). However, he said not to be too alarmed as my bladder was totally empty and he couldn't see very well. He said he is possibly concerned about ectopic pregnancy even though I don't fall into any category for higher risk of that. I'm 24 and this is my first pregnancy. I have to get a blood test in two days time to confirm the pregnancy. Then I have to return for ultrasound with a full bladder so he can see properly. Is it possible to have three false positive pregnancy tests? Also I estimate I conceived maybe 3 weeks ago, 4 at the most and I've read somewhere its not even possible to view an embryo at this stage. Gyn also said today there was a possibility of the pregnancy being too early to view. Does someone know if this is true or have any advice? Also, does a shadow, (even though it was unclear to the gyn today on screen), always indicate something sinister? I'm extremely worried here, going out of my mind. Can anyone help please?

[Brandy702]

well i thought about it last night (nameing the miscarriage/baby) and i feel it was a boy and thought i would name it after my grandfather!!

Lester Neil Hougland  which my grandfather was a chilcote but hey i think he woulda loved it!! ;)

o.k. you figured out how to be smarter than the computer aahhhh hhhaaa!!

let me see if i can try Braaap  at cox dot net....is my e-mail address

i'll e-mail ya one now so that way i have you in my address book...

hope you and you're family have a merry Christmas and a happy new year!!

ttyl amy!

i feel a lil crampy and ill today but still not as bad as i thought, i plan on waiting 4 months before trying again and thought i would cleanse my system the last month by taking herbal supplements don't know if that will help flush this shot outta my system or not but would comfort me knowing i tried -,lol

Thank you again Amy!!!

Brandy

[aim7407]

Hey there! I am so glad you're not feeling any pain from the shot. I hope it stays that way.  I don't think it's morbid at all if you want to bury your baby's remains. If it is something that will help you to heal, and deal with your loss, then you should certainly do it. I was glad to help, it was nice talking to you and being able to help you get through something really rough. I am certain , especially with your positive outlook on life, that you'll conceive again!  I dont' have a myspace account.  But I do have a yahoo email address.  Maybe if I put it in the text like this:   It is  amerlyn74  and it's   AT    yahoo  dot com.     I hope that will work, but if not, I'll check on here to see if you wrote back.    I think it would be really sweet to give him/her a name, and it will help you heal I think.   And the tattoo sounds really cute.    I hope you're still feeling okay, and let me know how it goes.   See  if you can email me, and I'll check it later today.  I am in central time zone and I think you're in pacific right?     Talk to  you soon!   Amy

[Brandy702]

well i guess it won't allow me to give you my e-mail address!

do you have a myspace by chance (i got mine to be nosy on my nephews n nieces -lol)

you can look me up either by my name Brandy Hougland or by brandy702sin (you know it, i am from Vegas lol)

hope to hear from you!!

[Brandy702]

well, i got the shot today....i had them do another ultrasound just to comfort me...again found nothing!

the shot wasn't bad at all (thank you Jesus!)

it has been an hour and a half and i still fell fine, so i am keeping my fingers crossed it stays that way ;)

i did find out that my levels had declined so i guess they felt i needed added help with them.

Thank you again Amy, you really don't know how you have helped me!!!

i hope to keep in touch with you!

sorry to here about you're 1st hubby (MEN!!!) but it is nice you have found good hubby!!

what better place to have met! the Lord works in mysterious ways doesn't he?!!

i had planned on taking (what i believe to be) our baby to my grandfathers grave and burying it next to his (which my bro n law thinks it is morbid) but i feel it is a way of me healing and as i said before my grandfather loved my Ava and i think he would be happy in what i am doing.....i thought about naming it, my heart tells me it would have been a boy but i think i will pick out a versital name for him/her...have plans to get a tattoo of a lil baby foot (a tiny lil one) somewhere, just don't know where yet....i have a few tattoos so another lil one in remembrance of my lil one will be nice =)

thank you again

and be blessed woman!!! =)

Brandy

My e-mail address is ***@****

feel free to holler at me sometime ;)

take care of you're newest arrival and give em a big hug from me!!!

[aim7407]

Hi there! I'm sorry it isn't working out for you! I feel so badly for you,  I know you must be in a lot of pain emotionally, and then having to face physical pain too. It takes a strong woman to view the whole thing as you do. I wonder which of the three senarios it could be,  I wonder if since you are still having so many pregnancy symptoms that it could be that the embryo implanted outside your uterus like they said it might have.

But if that is true, that is Very dangerous for you, and would likely kill you if it were allowed to progress, and the baby wouldn't have ever survived once it got bigger. I know it's so sad, but no matter what has happened, it's a human life, and you have every right to grieve. If you want, you could even have a memorial service for him/her. My priest where I go to church (my sister had a miscarriage in July and we were talking about this)  he said that he has had many couples do a liturgy , or memorial service for their miscarried babies, even as early as 5 or 6 weeks of pregnancy. And it's a way to say goodbye, to someone you may not have met in this life, but will most certainly meet in the next.   You could give it a name, if you wanted, and write in a journal about the whole experience, so that your little girl Ava, and your future children here on earth, can read about the sibling that left to be with God. It's a very real thing, lots of people don't get that, they think it's just a ball of cells,,, but it's a life, a person. And it ceases to be a ball of cells after about the first 3 weeks when there is a heart beat. I know it will be hard , to have that reminder of the child you never got to see, but think of it this way:  You did know him/her, you knew them by your breasts hurting, by the way your tummy did sumer saults, by the way you felt and thought. You couldn't see them but you know they were there. And it brought you joy, even if only briefly and it ended in sadness. So for a brief moment, this life was Yours  to hold and keep, and God decided that he wanted them to be with him. He is asking you now I think, to let him take this soul, and you are letting him, and that's a great thing to be able to do. It is true that God never gives us more than we can take, and if we rely on him for strength and rely on his never ending love for us, then everything will always be well.  You will probably be sad and down like you said, after the shot, but take heart, that everything does happen for a reason. And you can always look up at night, or pray, and you'll know that this baby is there, with God, the most wonderful place a person could be. So be happy for him or her, and try to heal with time. I really do believe you'll have another baby that makes it to the end of a pregnancy.  I just know everything is going to work out. I have faith in that.

I actually was born and raised in Oklahoma, grew up in Tulsa. I am in Alabama now though. My first husband is Air Force, so , we moved all over, from Wash DC to North Dakota, and then I ended up here where my Mom had moved to , and so I came to live with her while my hubby went to Korea, and he never came back for us, cheated on me, its a long long story, needless to say, I stayed here and most of my family followed my Mom here, and then I met my current hubby at my church, and we got married there!  Ugh.... it's so hot and sticky here in the summer, and just the other day it was 85 degrees, and now it's like 40!  I wish it could decide which stupid season to be!!!  LOL....  I like the cold personally. It's funny, my ex husband's parents moved from Tulsa  to Henderson NV, after he and I graduated from highschool.  Small world!  

Let me know how it goes,  even if it takes you a week to be up to writing back, I'll be checking every day for a note.  Don't worry , everything is going to be okay.  Take care and be well.    Talk to you soon,     Amy

[Brandy702]

hello Amy!

well i go 10:30 am tomorrow to get the shot of methotrexate, they were still unable to find anything and my uterus is cleaned out (when befor i "miscarried" i had a thickened uterus-it is thin now)

so the Doc's gave me 3 possibilities

#1 tubal (which he doesn't believe it is)
#2 incomplete miscarriage
#3 the embryo implanted somewhere out side my uterus.

i am sooooo nervous about this shot!

it is like a 2nd miscarriage for me! and then the stuff looks and sounds nasty, they have to give me 2 injections sites so it is absorbed properly....and i know i am going to be sick and in pain!

I FEEL SOOOOOOOOO PREGNANT TOO!!!

morning sickness, fatigue, and breast tenderness!!!

uuuurrrrrgggggghhhhhh

i plan on taking tylenol, anti nausea medication and a xantex (if i don't take that they won't be able to get near me-lol)

i just hope since i supposedly miscarried at 5 weeks that all will go pretty smooth (i pray)

i would be 8 weeks monday!! =(

my daughter Ava i told you about, well my brother had their baby 3 months before me, and guess what!! she is pregnant again and it would have been the same with these ones too!!!!!!!

so i will have that reminder 3 months after she gives birth to her's that 3 months later i woulda had mine and then after each of my new niece' birthday i will know 3 months after would have been MY babies birthday..... a sad reminder for me.......

i am worried that i will be pretty down for a while after this shot (not that i haven't already) but even more so, as much as morning sickness and breast tenderness sucks....i was loving every minute!
praying for a miracle that all would be perfect....i know everything happens for a reason, and I will get through this just as i have through all my other lifes tests!

what is that saying? the lord never gives you more than you can handle......i believe that

have a good night or day, and i will let you know how all goes a.s.a.p!

where abouts do you live? just curious -lol

i am in Las Vegas Nevada...born and raised ;)

ttyl

Brandy
  

[aim7407]

Hi. I'm praying for you too! I hope you don't have to have the shot, but if they really feel it is what is best for you and your health, then it's probably wise to listen to them. I know this is hard on you, but just keep positive and know that even if it doesn't work out now, you'll conceive again soon. But, if you really feel like you need more time, then maybe you can get a second opinion? I think you should just follow your heart and your gut instincts. I know you'll do what's right for yourself. I hope the shot , if you get it, doesn't cause you any pain. Don't stress yourself and try to rest when you get home. I'll be praying for you! Take care and keep me posted.   Talk to you soon.  Amy

[Brandy702]

well i go to the high risk doctor at 9:30 in the morning and if they do not find anything they said they are giving me the methotrexate shot!

i found out it is a low dose of kemo and attacks dividing cells so in short they are "aborting" my baby!

i am praying so much, that i am
dreaming of all of this...the whole night!!

i pray they find something cause i am nervous/ scared of this shot, i keep thinking they need to give me some more time, but also i know i need to listen to them now, they wanted to give this shot to me two weeks ago but i refused.

sorry to hear of you're loss, that is really unfortunate.
but God does have his plans even if we don't understand them.

thank you once more, and i'll let you know how it goes, i don't know how i will feel tomorrow if they have to give me that shot but if i feel good i'll reply tomorrow =)

Brandy

[aim7407]

Hi there! That's really sweet what you said about your Grandad, I'm sorry to hear that he passed, but all souls live on and the body is merely a shell for the soul that God creates. My Dad was killed when I was only 12 years old, so I've had years to come the realization that I'll for sure see him again, and that most likely, he sees me now! I'm not so sure I want him to see Everything! ;-)   Well, even  if a woman loses a pregnancy early on, it's still a great loss, and lots of people don't understand how hard it can be.   I think there is always hope, and if you do have a tilted uterus, maybe that's the reason for all the hcg numbers going up? You just have to keep on truckin, and see what happens. I feel I've made a friend too, it's nice to talk and share with you! I think being able to talk about your feelings and hopes and dreams, always helps bring perspective and peace. If only men could always get that part! haha!  I have to tell my husband to turn the TV off sometimes and just talk to me. He laughs and then turns it off and says  "what do you want to talk about baby?"   oh well, at least he tries.  

Well keep me posted on what the docs say and take care till next time!  I'll be thinking of you and yours.    ttyl  :-)  Amy

[Brandy702]

i go for more blood work today.....

my arms are so bruised from all of this!

i was thinking just what you implied!! that the "cyst" is still producing hcg, they had said that it is getting smaller, so haven't a clue.

on the way home from the high risk doctor the other day i was thinking ( my grandfather recently passed away aug 10 and he loved my lil girl Ava), but i thought to myself well grandpa you loved Ava so much here is one for you to keep for me until we meet again....just thought i would share that, i am keeping my thoughts positive!

yes, it indeed took it's toll on me when they 1st said i had a miscarriage so hearing it for the 2nd time actually gave me some relief.. as i do not know what to think any more!

i have a friend who now has a healthy baby girl and took them until she was 3 and a half months along to see her baby, she has a tilted uterus as i do. in her case her levels would go up then down then up.....so i know there is still hope, but i sure don't want to get my hopes up ;)

I will keep you posted!

in this very short amount of time i feel i made a friend!! -lol
you really have helped me along this roller coaster ride ;)

thank you for replying, i do appreciate it!

Brandy

ttyl =)

[aim7407]

Hi there, I'm sorry to hear about you miscarrying, but that is so weird that your hcg levels are still rising! I wonder what it could mean. Well, maybe you're right and like you said your body just has to figure it out. I know when you're pregnant, the follicle that your egg erupts from, if you conceive, becomes the corpus luteum, and it produces progesterone until the placenta takes over at around 12  weeks of pregnancy, but I think it also produces HCG, so maybe, it's still there (it's technically a cyst) and it's still producing hcg? I don't know.  Even though it's sad to lose a pregnancy, there is always room for hope. And I think your attitude about it all is great. It takes a great amount of strength to view the big picture as you do.  You probably are  going to be very fertile over the next while. Just keep on trying and hoping, and it will happen.  Let me know what the docs say about your hcg levels. And update me when you get a chance!  I'll keep praying and you do the same okay!   Amy

[Brandy702]

well i went to the high risk doc yesterday and he feels i indeed miscarried,(because my uterus lining is thin) still no gestational sac found!!! i should be 7 weeks according to my lmp but again i'd give it 6 weeks due to the fact iam an iffy ovulator....but i received a call from my doc today and MY LEVELS WENT Up again!! not doubling but from 1725 to 2555....

i haven't a clue what to think anymore!

they found nothing anywhere in my tubes ovaries, uterus...nothing!

i have no pain still, and i believe i miscarried that maybe my body is really slow in figuring it out yet ...

all i can do is hand it over to the lord, and if i did miscarry i guess the bright side is i should be really fertile over the next few months. =)

thank you again for you're replies! i check daily for them ;)

I will keep you posted, and congrats on you're newest addition!!

Brandy

[aim7407]

Hi there. I'm sorry to hear about all your fertility troubles, I know that Must be really really stressful. But it really is a testament to the power of prayer and God, that you did conceive your little girl. And if it happened once, then it can definitely happen again! And the good thing is, you're still young, 27 is a good age to try for a baby. I had my daughter at 23 and my son at 33 (I'll be 34 this coming April). I would like to have one more, but I don't want to try right now, since he's only 7 months. But , if I don't have one by the time I'm 36 or 37, then that's it for me! You have time on your side,  as you still have a good 10 or 12 years left in which to try and conceive again. Here's hoping you're still pregnant, but if it was an ectopic, I am glad they have caught it in time, and they can give you treatment, and then you can start trying again. God obviously wanted you to have a baby, as you now have Ava, as a testament to that. Just keep praying, and be open to all God has to offer you and he'll take care of the rest.  Keep me posted on what the blood work and Doctors' say. Good luck! Talk soon.  Amy

[Brandy702]

Thank you, the more prayers the better!

a story for you =)

it took me and my hubby almost 4 yrs to conceive our daughter who is the 2nd girl in 7 generations...before we conceived we went through all the tests and came to find i have a deviated pituitary gland therefore i am an unpredictable ovulator.....

well in the process of doing clomid treatments we found a huge cyst on my left ovary and went in to remove it, in the process they found my tube was crushed so my dr opened it, cleaned the scar tissue and did a temp fix with something to hold it open for a while, and also he said i had one of the worst cases of endometriosis, not the worst but one of the worst he has saw.. so he cleaned me all up and 10,000 dollars later NOTHING!!!

of course it is VERY stressful and heart breaking, but only after i gave it over to the lord and told my hubby we were done that if we did not conceive in 3 yrs we would adopt, Lord and behold 3 months later we were blessed with what we call our gift from God AKA miracle baby Ava!!

I learned to be very in tuned with my body after that needless to say (lol)

we just celebrated her two year birthday December 4th!!

She is truly a blessing!!

now this one i feel (i pray) the lord wants this one to be just as much as a testimony in his name as our first.. i pray everyday!!

though i don't attend church on a regular basis, i have my faith in the lord's plans..

i conceived her at 25 and now am 27.....(just to throw that in there)

i still have no cramping and am refusing to take the shot if i don't see anything next week i think i just might do it then...still unsure.

Thank you for you're reply hope to hear fromm you again

Brandy

[aim7407]

Hi there, I'll definitely keep you in my prayers. If it is an ectopic or tubal pregnancy, then it's good they caught it early, so as not to damage your tubes.  But it's true, if your periods are somewhat irregular, then you might just not be far enough along for them to see the fetal pole on the ultrasound.   But take heart, because even if this time doesn't work out, you obviously are able to conceive!  Some good tips for conceiving that I found worked for me are, to avoid alchohol, caffeine , and to take a prenatal vitamin evey day, with a glass of orange juice, for the folic acid.  Also,   it can be really helpful if you want to know the best time to conceive, if you use an ovulation predictor pee stick. Also if you're interested in fertility charting you might try it. You use your daily morning temperature, it's really neat how much you can learn about your body and how it works, and you can start to see a pattern over the course of a few cycles, so that you can tell when you have ovulated. There is tons of stuff on the internet about it, if you just type in fertility charting. But the best way is to just stay relaxed and just let it happen. Good luck to you! And I'll be thinking of you.  Keep me posted.    Amy

[Brandy702]

well the doctor called yesterday and now they wanted me to get a shot that starts with an M metrotrate or something....she said i may have a tubal and this would dissolve anything in there.....

i have no pains or cramping, i feel fine, so i told her i would wait it out...i go Monday for yet more blood work and Thursday for an ultrasound if i make it that long without my tube rupturing (cross my fingers and been praying)  so i don't know what to think anymore!!!

if they can't find anything thursday i plan on doing the shot, i am going to try and call the doc monday and see if they can squeeze me in for an ultrasound and if nothing is found than go ahead with the shot that day...

i sure hope i can get pregnant right away, but who knows.... i am an iffy ovulater so it is very possible that i am not as far along as i think...

i'll keep ya posted and please keep me in you're prayers it would deeply be appreciated!!!

Brandy

[aim7407]

Hey Brandy. I'm not a doctor, but I do have two kids of my own, one is 10 and one is 7 months. I can tell you, from experience, that usually an embryo will show up on ultrasound (vaginal or tummy) by around 6 weeks of pregnancy, that means, 6 weeks since your last menstrual period. So if you started your period on the 22nd of Oct., then you'd be almost 7 weeks (on Monday will be 7 weeks since your last men. period) , so , in theory, they should have seen something on ultrasound. I had my first one with my son, age 7 months now,  when I was 7 weeks pregnant ( I was positive about dates as we were trying to conceive and so kept very good track, I conceived him on Aug 22nd, period had started on August 8th and the first ultrasound was in september), and it , he,  showed up on tummy , and vaginal ultrasound, and the heartbeat was visible, as were the leg and arm buds. so, you might not be pregnant anymore, but don't worry! You might still be, and you're not as far along as you might think you are. So I would go to the doc, and wait and see what they say. Don't worry if you're not, as you will most likely conceive within the first 6 months to a year of trying, most women do. up to 85%  do.  So good luck, and try to relax till you know for sure!

[Brandy702]

my last menstrual was around october 22....today is december 7th

my hcg levels are rising as they should, were a lil slow to do so in the beginning and was told my progesterone levels were a lil low of 5.2.

they told me Friday i miscarried and i felt i did.. i had bad pains and cramping into my back, uterus, and legs,passed blood clots and what i thought was tissue...the dr never looked at it when i brought it in...then Monday they called and said my hcg levels were rising and i was still pregnant!

went for a vaginal ultra sound yesterday and they cant find ANYTHING no sac nor embryo in the uterus nor tubes, they said my uterus lining was thin.

the doctor isn't much help, hasn't given me ANY possibilities except that i may be too early in pregnancy, that they would follow my hcg levels..

i feel by now they should have seen SOMETHING!!!!

i asked the dr if it was possible that i had a blighted ovum and she just disregarded my question, by saying were going to follow you're levels...


ANYBODY????

HELP!!!

this is soooo stressful!!!

Can anyone shed some light???

[summerlion1123]

I didn't concieve two weeks after my last period, I conceived 3 days after I I believe it was. Very close to that. I had an ultra sound at 8 weeks almost exactly and the baby was easily seen, but my bladder was also very... very... painfully full lol.

[Keith Downing, MD]

Hello,

The earliest a pregnancy can be visualized by ultrasound is ~5 weeks gestation (pelvic ultrasound is usually more sensitive than an abdominal ultrasound at visualizing pelvic structures).  When the hormone of pregnancy level (the hCG) is ~1800-2500 an early pregnancy inside the uterus can be visualized on pelvic ultrasound.  Until an early pregnancy is seen within the uteres a physician must always be concerned with the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy.  For this reason your ob/gyn will continue to follow you closely until a clear diagnosis is made.

Best regards,

Dr. Downing

[LB0109]

Your dates dont add up. You say its been 7 weeks since ur period, but u only concieved 3-4 weeks ago. u usually concieve 2 weeks after ur last period.  7 weeks after my last period showed up on the ultrasound.